Barry Odom Purdue football national signing day press conference
The Boilermakers signed 21 high school football players and coach Barry Odom explained why that’s important moving forward, and how close he feels his program is to turning a corner.
- Marian University’s football team was removed from the NAIA national tournament.
- The university’s athletic director stated the violation was inadvertent and is reviewing internal processes.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Marian University football program was two wins away from playing for an NAIA national championship, planning to make a trip to Florida for quarterfinal game Saturday against Keiser University.
Instead, the season is over for the Knights due to the use of an academically ineligible player.
“We sincerely apologize to Keiser University, the NAIA, our student-athletes, and the Marian community that we cannot continue our season,” said Steve Downing, Marian’s athletic director, in a statement. “This is a disappointing outcome for everyone involved. We regret the disruption it causes and are taking immediate steps to address the root causes.”
Marian was forced out of the NAIA national tournament due to the use of an ineligible player. Marian is forced to vacate up to three previous wins.
“As is often the case with inadvertent eligibility issues, multiple factors contributed to this situation,” Downing added. “We have identified gaps in our processes, are implementing strengthened academic and eligibility checks, and will complete a formal internal review. Our coaches acted in good faith and were not previously aware of the eligibility violation.”
Marian, seeded sixth in the national tournament, defeated No. 10 seed Dordt 26-18 on Saturday at home in the second round as Mt. Vernon grad Keagan La Belle ran for 138 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries. La Belle leads the team with 1,296 yards rushing and 22 rushing TDs.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
